Maize farming has gradually been rising in Rajshahi region including the vast Barind tract as the farmers are reaping more profit than that of wheat and Boro paddy, reports BSS.
For this reason, the farmers concerned are seen more interested towards cultivating maize after reducing Boro paddy and wheat acreage every year, opening up a new door of cropping diversity.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) had set a target of bringing 41,105 hectares of land under maize farming in the eight districts under Rajshahi division this season but the farmers cultivated it on 47,515 hectares creating scope of producing around 0.53 million tonnes of maize grain.
Dev Dulal Dhali, Additional Director of DAE, said there was no scarcity of seeds this time as huge quantities of the same were distributed among the farmers and they timely completed sowing of maize seeds in more lands under the crop farming program.
Estar Ali, a farmer of Manik Chawk village, told the news agency at least Tk 10,000 is required for cultivation of wheat on one bigha of land that yields hardly 14 to 16 maunds.
On the contrary, maize farming on one bigha of land needs Tk 7,000 yielding 40 to 50 maunds. That's why he has cultivated the cash crop on 25 bigha of lands this season.
Bakul Hossain, another farmer of Jhikra village, used to cultivate Boro paddy during last 30 years. But, this season, he has cultivated maize on 10 bigha of land instead of Boro as the crop profits him in last two years.
Previous season's profit from five bigha of lands encourages another farmer Golam Rabbani of Pakri village to cultivate the crop on 10 bigha of lands this season.
Shafiqul Islam, upazila agriculture officer in Godagari, said maize farming land has almost been doubled in last five years. In the current season, maize was cultivated on 1,715 hectares of land only in the Godagari upazila.
He says wheat farming needs optimum cold and fog for its successful growth of plant from December to second week of February. But the adverse impact of climate change was hampering the wheat yield for the last couple of years.
Agriculturist Islam said the DAE extends support towards maize farming side by side with the wheat and Boro.
Dr Ilias Hossain, principal scientific officer of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute, said maize contains huge Vitamin-A and its multi-dimensional use including production of corn oil with no cholesterol from maize can helps heart patients in many ways through consuming its oil.